Fighter jet crashes in Rovaniemi, pilot ejects

A fighter jet of Finnish Air Force crashed near Rovaniemi Airport in Lapland, the northern part of Finland on Wednesday morning, said Finnish Air Force in a press release.

The accident took place at about 10:50 a.m. when the F/A-18 Hornet crashed into the military area during a display flight exercise in which the pilot practices aerobatic maneuvers included in the Hornet display flight.

The pilot ejected from the plane before the crash.

The fighter jet hit the ground base and caught fire at the end of runway area from where it drifted to the corner of the F-35 construction site, which is part of the Lapland Air Command.

Air Force and Finavia rescue units rushed to the spot immediately after the crash and extinguished the fire.

There were no building or people at the place and no human casualty was reported.

The pilot parachuted to the field, was injured slightly but walked to the Lapland Air Force Rescue Unit vehicle by himself.

The pilot was taken to Lapland Central Hospital for examination after giving first aid by the Air Force medical team.

Later the pilot was released from the hospital.

The accident did not close the Rovaniemi Airport, although the road to the airport (Lentokentäntie) remained closed for a while.

The Air Force authority and Lapland Police are investigating into the accident to find out the reason and get more information in this regard.